Page:The principal navigations, voyages, traffiques and discoveries of the English nation 15.djvu/302

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.

to withstand them. Whereupon, considering the great danger, and disaduantage of the place, he caused his people to returne abord againe, and the next morning 3 or 4 houres before day, he landed in a place of greater security, with 60 men onely, who lay closely in a chapel, to defend themselues from the raine til break of the day, and so marched forward vpon the backs of their enemies, which kept their baricados vpon the shore. By this time the enemie was 500 strong. But, being so suddenly surprised, after some resistance of our muskets, when they saw our pikes approch, and had tasted somewhat of their force they began to flee into certaine thickets, and shrubs, thinking from thence to gall our men: but with very litle or no losse at all, our men dislodged them of that place also. Hereupon, they all fled toward the chiefe towne of the yland: but once againe they thought to make a new stand at a certaine house by the way, from whence they were repulsed by captaine Roberts.

The yle of Puerto Santo taken and the chiefe towne in it burnt. So in the flight part of them were slaine, and an ensigne, which one captaine Haruey an English man had lost not long before, was recouered: and the chiefe towne it selfe was by our men wholly woon and possessed. But before the entrance of our men they had conueighed their wiues, their children, and the rest of their goods into an exceeding high hil which standeth neere the towne, and could not be conquered, but with exceeding losse. Although they sent diuers times to redeeme their towne, which was very faire and large, yet in regard of their crueltie and treachery, which they vsed towards Captaine Haruey and his people, captaine Preston would shew them no fauour, but vtterly burnt their towne to ashes, and sent his men to wast the rest of their villages of the yland, preferring the honour and iust reuenge of his country men, before his owne priuate gaine, and commodity. And so with small pillage and great honour he retired in safetie and all his small company with him, from the conquered yland vnto his ship. But we in our ship met not with him, vntill the 12. of April following.

They water vpon the grand Canaria. We therefore in the Derling pursuing our voiage, had sight of the yles of the Canaries the 6 of April, and the 8 of the same, we watered on the Southeast side of the grand Canaria. There we met with cap. Sommers, and his pinnesse, and 3 ships of Hampton, in one whereof was cap. Willis. The 9 of April we al departed for Tenerif to seeke captaine Preston: and standing